Wet razor storage system and container

ABSTRACT

A storage vessel for holding between shaves a wet razor with its head and cutting blade submerged in a liquid and its handle held out of the liquid and dry. The vessel liquid is comprised of a mixture of hydrophobic and hygroscopic materials and of anti-viral and anti-bacterial materials, effective to reduce cutting blade oxidation due to exposure to water and air during nonuse storage and to maintain the blade sharp and sanitary for shaving comfort. These materials specifically might be mineral oil and calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ), and nano-gold or nano-silver.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wet blade razors utilize one or more blades that become dull after use.This dulling is caused by many factors, including mechanical wear bybeing dragged over and against the skin to be shaved, and by chemicaloxidation due to exposure with water and shaving lather during shaving,and to rinse water and air drying thereafter during storage before beingused again.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,633 discloses apparatus useful for storing such arazor in a manner to reduce oxidation wear between shaves. Specifically,the apparatus included the use of a vessel containing a hydrophobic,such as mineral oil mineral oil held therein so that the stored bladecould be submerged in it away from exposure to air during storage.Further, a hygroscopic material is contained within the mineral oiloperable to reduce or eliminate water accumulation in the oil.

This solution minimizes oxidation wear between shaves, but yet anotherpotential problem exists. Thus, over time the liquid mixture canaccumulate bacteria that could be transferred to the shaver, leadingpossibly to an infection or disease.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to and a specific object of this invention is toprovide a storage container for holding the blade(s) of a wet razor in aprotective manner, so as to preserve blade sharpness and to eliminate orreduce the growth of a viruses or bacteria in the container or on theblade.

A more detailed object of this invention is to provide a storagecontainer for holding the liquid mixture in which the razor blade(s) canbe positioned during non-use periods between shaving, where the liquidmixture can be hydrophobic and hygroscopic, and where anti-viral oranti-bacterial particles can be exposed to the liquid mixture operableto preclude or aggressively minimize the growth of bacteria in theliquid mixture and/or on the razor blade.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further objects, advantages and features of this invention will beapparent after considering the following disclosure and description,including as a part thereof the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an embodiment of container suited forincorporating this invention; and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the container as seen from line 2-2 inFIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Apparatus useful for practicing this invention is illustrated in theform of an top-open liquid-tight vessel 10, having a bottom wall 12 andfour upstanding side walls 14, 16, 18 and 20. Wall 14 is inclined fromthe vertical, and has a ledge 20 slightly sloping from the horizontalsuited for holding the head 22 of a stored safety razor 24, with thehead then being elevated above the bottom wall 12 and the razor handle26 also spaced above the bottom wall 12 and extended past the side wall18 through an open wall notch 28.

The vessel 10 can hold protective liquid of this invention up to thelevel 30. The stored razor will have its head 22 and blade or blades(not shown) submerged in the liquid, while its handle 26 cantileveredaway from the razor handle and blade will be supported above the liquid.

The above-noted U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,633 disclosed using a hydrophobicliquid (such as mineral oil) and a hygroscopic material (such asgranular pellets of calcium sulfate or calcium chloride CaCl₂) in arazor storage container. The hydrophobic liquid reduces exposure of therazor blade(s) to oxidizing air and the hygroscopic material reduceswater accumulation in the liquid.

This invention provides for introducing anti-viral and/or anti-bacterialmaterials to the hygroscopic material and the hydrophobic liquid held inthe razor storage container. Nano-silver or nano-gold particles servewell as anti-viral and/or anti-bacterial materials that can be added tothe hygroscopic and hydrophobic liquid combination for minimizing orreducing viral or bacterial buildup in the liquid combination and/or itstransfer via the razor blade(s) to the razor user.

Different methods and combinations of these methods can be used foradmitting nano-silver or nano-gold particles into the container liquidto achieve the desired goal of providing for effective anti-bacterialand anti-viral applications. These techniques/methods are broadlydivided into bulk based method and surface based methods. Technically,the surface based methods are more effective, when measured aseffectiveness per unit mass of the particles. However, the bulk basedmethods may be cost effective in terms of manufacturing.

In the bulk method, the nano-particles would be mixed with the materialused to form the container component itself, to provide that the wallsof the container and the exposed wall surfaces would have sufficientconcentration of the particles to yield the needed minimum exposure tothe hygroscopic and hydrophobic liquid.

This bulk method can also be used for the construction of thehygroscopic tablets. The same applies if the fluid is to be madecolloidal with the use of the suspended particles, with or without theaid of additional thixotropic agents. In fact, the thixotropic materialitself may be made from, partially or wholly, the nano-particles.

The surface method can be effectively applied, for example, with hotplasma or hot gas containing the nano-particles as one of its componentsbeing directly sprayed on to the inner walls of the container. Thetemperature of the plasma/hot gas is adjusted to soften/melt the surfacelayer of the inner wall such that the particles contained in theplasma/hot gas would stick to the surface.

Yet another approach for providing nano-particles to the hygroscopicmaterial and hydrophobic liquid would be to secure strips of adhesivelybacked tapes, having the nano-particles on the non-adhesive surface ofthe tapes, onto the inner walls of the container. This would be muchlike the anti-slip strips used to cover the floors of shower tubs andstalls in the bathroom. Micro-strips of this type can also be used tocover part of the hygroscopic tablets.

The nano-particles dissolve and blend directly in the hydrophobicliquid, as an added liquid or colloidal mix. The nano-particles can beformed into tablets, with a filler if needed and either as separatetablets or combined with the hygroscopic pellets of calcium chlorideCaCl₂, allowing the tablets to be added to the hydrophobic liquid. Stillfurther, the nano-particles can be incorporated into or coated onto thecontainer walls so that such will be exposed to the container liquid.This coating could alternatively be provided on any material sheetsuited to be removably fitted into the container and be exposed then tothe liquid held therein. Further, the nano-silver or nano-gold materialscan be introduced into and mixed with the granular vessel plastic beforethe same is injection molded into the plastic container.

The container surfaces, when exposed to the hygroscopic and hydrophobicliquid held in the razor storage container, thus will ultimately chargethe container liquid with the advantageous characteristic of thenano-silver and/or nano-gold materials as being anti-viral andanti-bacterial.

Although both nano-silver and/or nano-gold materials provide anti-viraland/or anti-bacterial characteristics to the hygroscopic and hydrophobicliquid, nano-silver might be preferred as it is both easier to handleand slightly more economical than nano-gold materials.

With the razor storage container filled to a level just over the slopingledge 20 with the protective hygroscopic and hydrophobic liquidcombination, the stored razor head could be rested on the ledge tosubmerge the razor blade(s) in the protective liquid, for providinganti-viral and anti-bacterial blade protection. Alternatively, shouldthe liquid level be below the ledge, the razor head could first bedipped into the liquid in the vessel sump region to coat the blade(s),and then be rested on the ledge, allowing excess liquid drainage fromthe razor head back to the vessel sump region.

The proposed liquid mixture of hydrophobic, hygroscopic, and anti-viraland anti-bacterial materials provides safe protection against bladedulling from corrosion and against virus and/or bacteria buildup on thewet razor blade that could be transferred to the razor user. Theillustrated storage container provides only one manner of utilizing theinvention, with the blade head submerged in the liquid and thecantilevered handle supported above the liquid; although othercontainers can be used.

1. Apparatus for nonuse storage of a wet razor having a head withcutting blade and a handle cantilevered away from the head, comprisingthe combination of an open top vessel suited to hold liquid and allowthe blade to become submerged within the liquid, and structure in thevessel operable to stably hold the razor with the handle out of theliquid and exposed; the liquid being a mixture of hydrophobic andhygroscopic materials; and anti-viral and anti-bacterial materials inthe liquid operable to contact the razor head and cutting blade, asduring the nonuse storage.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising the anti-viral and anti-bacterial materials being nano-goldor nano-silver.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprisinghydrophobic material being mineral oil, the hygroscopic material beingcalcium chloride (CaCl₂), and the anti-viral and anti-bacterialmaterials being nano-gold or nano-silver.
 4. Apparatus according toclaim 3, further comprising the anti-viral and anti-bacterial materialsbeing formed on the surface of the vessel suited to be in contact withthe hydrophobic liquid.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising hydrophobic material being mineral oil, the hygroscopicmaterial being calcium chloride (CaCl₂), and the anti-viral andanti-bacterial materials being nano-gold or nano-silver particles. 6.Apparatus for the non-use storage of a wet razor having a cutting bladeand a handle cantilevered away from the blade, comprising thecombination of a liquid comprised of a mixture of hydrophobic,hygroscopic, and anti-viral and anti-bacterial materials, and the bladebeing submerged in the liquid prior to storage.
 7. Apparatus for thenon-use storing of a wet razor according to claim 6, further comprisingthe hydrophobic material being mineral oil, and the hygroscopic materialbeing calcium chloride (CaCl₂).
 8. Apparatus for the non-use storing ofa wet razor according to claim 7, further comprising having theanti-viral and anti-bacterial materials of nano-gold or nano-silverparticles.